iPhone 18 gets the world talking, but are consumers buying the hype?

Apple's entry into the foldable smartphone market has generated plenty of buzz, but consumers are already asking whether the innovation is worth its premium price tag.

The launch of the iPhone 18 lineup generated 464,674 mentions and 21.5 million engagements globally between 12 August and 11 September, according to data from media intelligence firm CARMA. Conversation peaked on 9 September, when mentions hit 97,013 in a single interval.

At the centre of the chatter was the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone. The device appeared in 49.2% of mentions surrounding the launch, while the term "foldable" accounted for 10.4% of conversation.

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The findings suggest the Duo has helped push discussion beyond Apple's latest hardware lineup and towards the wider foldable smartphone category, as consumers weigh up whether a new form factor offers enough practical value to justify its cost. 

Sentiment around the Duo leaned positive, according to CARMA, with 552,274 positive mentions compared with 104,576 negative mentions. Positive conversation largely centred on the device's foldable design and innovation, as well as durability, camera capabilities and performance.

However, its US$1,999 starting price emerged as a sticking point. Negative conversation focused largely on price, value and whether the Duo offers enough differentiation to warrant its premium, with pricing and value concerns particularly visible across India and Southeast Asia.

The findings point to an innovation-versus-value tension surrounding Apple's foldable debut. While the Duo has created excitement around a new product category for the brand, consumers are also scrutinising its practicality, durability and features before deciding whether folding an iPhone is worth paying more for.

Apple folds Samsung into the conversation

Apple's foldable debut has also put an established player in the category back under the spotlight. During the period analysed, Apple generated 76,209 positive mentions compared with 8,414 for Samsung, nearly nine times as many. Samsung's positive conversation, however, peaked at 4,170 mentions on 10 September as consumers compared Apple's new device with existing foldable offerings.

The data suggests that while Apple overwhelmingly captured attention around the launch, its entry into foldables also created an opportunity for Samsung to re-enter the conversation, both through product comparisons and some not-so-subtle jabs of its own.

Following Apple's launch, Samsung Mobile US took to X on 10 September with a string of posts poking fun at its rival, including “So far, so same” and “Let us know when you're done reheating our leftovers”. It also referenced its own experience in the foldable category, posting: “Making us wait? Fine. We'll be over here, folding 3 ways.”

The rivalry spilled over onto Instagram too, where Samsung Singapore welcomed Apple to the category with a “Welcome to the fold” post. Samsung Mobile also used the attention around Apple's launch to spotlight its Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and draw comparisons between the devices.

Geographically, the US drove the highest volume of conversation at 542,636 mentions, followed by Thailand with 235,045, Japan with 169,467, Brazil with 103,965 and India with 83,470.

What consumers talked about also differed by market. Innovation and celebrity influence were more prominent conversation drivers in the US and Thailand, while pricing, value, camera performance and accessibility featured more strongly in Japan, India and Brazil.

Industry professionals MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke to similarly pointed to the gap between generating excitement and converting it into demand. While Apple's loyal ecosystem and premium positioning could work in the Duo's favour, they said the bigger test will be whether the device offers consumers a compelling enough reason to upgrade, particularly as people hold onto their smartphones for longer and become more selective about spending.

Ultimately, the Duo's success may hinge less on the attention surrounding its debut and more on whether Apple can demonstrate enough practical value to justify the premium.

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